September 21, 2011

The Morning Wrap

Hikers Released: American hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were freed from prison in Iran on Wednesday, a U.S. official said, more than two years after they were arrested as spies, CNN reports.

DOJ Audit: The Justice Department paid $16 per muffin at a gathering it held at the Capital Hilton in Washington. And on Tuesday, the muffins seemed well on their way to joining the Pentagon’s $600 toilet seat as symbols of wasteful spending, The Washington Post reports.

Under Fire: David Becker, the former general counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission, "participated personally and substantially in particular matters in which he had a personal financial interest," according to an investigator's report released Tuesday, Corporate Counsel reports.

Death Penalty: Barring an unimaginable legal reversal, Troy Davis will be executed by lethal injection at a Georgia prison on Wednesday in a case that many call a barometer of racism in this country, according to The New York Times.

Convicted: A former executive at expert-networking firm Primary Global Research LLC, James Fleishman, was convicted at trial of helping pass confidential information to fund managers as part of an insider-trading scheme, Bloomberg reports.